Castle's partner

Hunt Part 2

Ross pov

I groan.

Someone is holding me.

"Please, please she needs ice. She's hurt!" I hear Alexis's voice, but it sounds like it would while your ears are filled with water and cotton.

I don't open my eyes yet. They're too heavy.

A few minutes later, she's repeatedly thanking someone, and something cold is being pressed to my head.

"Hey, Samantha, c'mon wake up. You're okay, I'm right here." She whispers.

Slowly, I open my eyes, and she smiles at me in relief.

I sit up, taking the ice from her hand.

The side of my head hurts. A lot.

"Oh thank God!" Alexis grabs me and kisses me over and over.

"Okay, okay. I get it. I'm fine." I mumble. "What happened?"

"We tried to get out, but they caught us. They knocked you out. I'm not sure where we are. Sarah hasn't come back, I think she got out."

She takes the ice back from me and holds it to my skin. "You got a nasty bump. You were trying to save me. Next time, don't please." She smiles at me.

For the first time, I actually look up to observe where we are.

In a metal cage, in the center of a dark room surrounded by people with guns.

They are dressed in black, and don't seem to be paying much attention to us.

"Someone will come for us soon, you'll see."

But that's not true.

"Beckett will come through that door, with lots of backup. Ryan and Espo will be there. They'll come."

"Alexis-"

"Any day now-"

"Alexis!" I cut her off. "No one is coming for me. If this really is for ransom, I have no one to pay for mine."

"My dad will."

"No, he won't. They will ask him for everything he has for you, and he'll ask for me back too, but they'll say no. And he'll beg, maybe, but they won't budge. And after a while, he'll give in, because he loves me but he loves you more, and he'll do anything to get you back. Even if it means leaving me behind."

I look up at her now, and she has tears in her eyes.

She realizes I'm right.

She takes me in her arms and hugs me tight.

"I'm not leaving without you."

"That's what I'm afraid of. You have to leave without me, okay? You have to get out. You're the only chance I have."

"No, no." She hugs me tighter and cries harder.

"Alexis, please. Promise me."

"I can't leave you here alone. It's dangerous!"

"It's more dangerous for both of us if you don't leave, because then no one will ever find me!" I hiss at her. "Promise?"

"I promise, I promise I'll come back for you, I can't leave you." She cries.

The hours pass slowly, but Alexis clings to me like an overprotective sister.

They feed us, and on the bright side the food isn't all that bad. I mean who knew kidnappers could cook?

"Here, finish mine," Alexis says, handing me the rest of her clam chowder.

"Alexis I already finished mine. I'm full, it's okay. You need to eat it."

"I want to make sure you're getting enough food."

"I'm okay," I say smiling sadly. "I have enough."

She sighs, putting the bowl down next to her.

Suddenly, we hear yelling, and we both stand up to get a better view.

A man is yelling in Russian at one of his men.

I understand bits and pieces.

"Alexis, they're saying they found a man."

She looks at me, and I don't know what's more apparent, the look of shock or worry.

"You can understand them?"

I nod.

A lot of yelling happens all at once, and Castle is being led in by one of the men.

"Dad!" Alexis yells.

He hears her, and breaks away from the man holding him. He runs to us, tears in his eyes.

"I'm here, I'm here now. I'll get you out."

He grabs her hand through the bars.

"It's time to end this." The leader says into the walkie talkie he took from Castle. "I know that you are here. I know that you are close, and I want you to know, that I have your son."

Hundreds of thoughts race through my head. He can't be talking to Martha.

"You have ten seconds to show yourself to my men out front. Give yourself up, or I will kill him." He pulls out his gun and points it at Castle.

"Dad..." Alexis whimpers.

My body has been taken over with fear, and I'm completely still.

"It's okay," he whispers, taking Alexis's hand. In response, she takes mine.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six..."

"I'm sorry." Alexis whispers.

"It's okay." Castle grips her tightly.

"Five, four."

Alexis starts sobbing.

"Three-"

"You're not gonna kill my son Volkov." A man says through the device.

"No? And why is that?"

"Because you'll be dead."

The walkie talkie lights up in red and flashes, complete with beeping.

"Get down," Castle tells the two of us, and Alexis takes me to the ground with her.

The thing explodes, and they all die instantly.

Castle takes off his watch and puts it on the bars of the cage.

It gives off a small explosion, and the door falls off.

He grabs her hand, and she grabs mine, and we run.

We run like hell.

There are gunshots going off, and people running after us.

A man appears in front of us, and Castle punches him and keeps running.

We don't stop until we reach the US Embassy.

A man leads us inside, and there's talking, and Alexis won't let go of me.

I don't remember much after that.

When I wake up, Alexis is in a bed next to mine, and Castle sits in a chair next to her.

She's awake and they're holding hands.

It takes me a minute to be fully aware of what's happening, as Castle begins to explain everything.

His dad is a spy. An old fued and a dead wife later, this Russian guy wants revenge. Finds out Alexis is his granddaughter, thinks I am because of the red hair, takes me too. But Castle's dad helped us get out. When we got to the embassy, they took Alexis and I to a small wing of hospital rooms, where doctors gave us drugs to put us to sleep so we could get some rest.

They checked out my head, I have a concussion and a lump.

We're going back home tomorrow.

Tomorrow.